


Discovery

by Elenhin



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-15
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-01 15:44:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/pseuds/Elenhin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another challange given me by the ever wonderful and inspiring Aramirandme81, from the One Word at a Time series. </p>
<p>The word was Discovery, and the line; Anders doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he discovers that he’s missed his own birthday because Axl wasn’t there to be excited for him at least a week in advance.</p>
<p>This is my take on the matter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Discovery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aramirandme81](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/gifts).



> To Aramirandme81
> 
> I found it, so here it comes. :D I hope you like it. And there should be one of those 'note' thingies in this one to, for one of the other ones.... ;)

Discovery

 

It’s one of those slow weeks where nothing is really happening and there is nothing to do break the monotony.

 

Anders has simply been taking care of his work, dealing with it as it comes in order to get it done. Dawn is neither displeased nor exactly happy with him. She is simply content. She is slightly amused even as Anders swings between bored lethargy and productivity. In a way it’s entertaining to watch. He’ll sit in his desk chair, doing nothing but slowly spin it back and forth in circles for nearly an hour. Then he gets up, has a cup of coffee and an hour later he has the posters for the campaign planned out and sent to the printers.

 

The next day he does not get very much done at all, but more than makes up for it the day after.

 

This day though is running slow for both of them, the weather is gloomy, Anders can hardly muster up the energy for any work even if he knows he should take care of it, and Dawn isn’t really in the mood for scolding.

 

Finally Anders stands and goes over to her desk, sitting down on a corner of it and leaning at the wall.

 

“This day sucks,” he kicks his feet back and forth in the air, and Dawn can’t quite hide her smirk. Sometimes he is just like a little boy.

 

“It’s not one of our best days,” she agrees. “Maybe you should take a break, get some fresh air and be deal with the cricket team promo work when you get back?” Normally she wouldn’t encourage Anders to take a break but the day is gloomy and so is he.

 

“Nah, it’s too cold,” he sighs, fiddling a bit with a pen on her desk, drawing something on the corner of an envelope.

 

“I thought it was nice, refreshing,” she muses.

 

“I hate it when it’s cold,” he decides, drawing something else and Dawn quickly rescues the more important papers. Anders when fidgety have no sense for what should not be played with.

 

“Cold can be nice,” she smiles. “Refreshing.”

 

“I hate cold,” he pouts. Then he sighs deeply and thrusts his hand into his pocket, pulling out a couple of bills and some loose change. “Go down to the coffee shop, get some of the good coffee and not that crap,” he nods to the espresso machine. “Get us something to eat too, if this is gonna be a miserable day, I want something nice.”

 

“I’ll see what I can do,” she smiles, he’s cute when he pouts that way. It makes him look years younger. She takes the money and buys the coffee she knows he prefers, chocolate eclairs, crisps and a sugared bun with a creamy centre. Still not even that appears to perk him up and he has a glum look on his face when he sits back at his desk.

 

“You’ve been like this almost all week,” she muses as she hands him some papers that requires his signature.

 

“Miserable week,” he shrugs. “Guess I’ve been a bit off for some reason.”

 

“Couldn’t find anyone to take home?” she teases but Anders only shrugs.

 

“Didn’t much feel like it for some reason.”

 

“Now I’m getting worried about you,” she frowns. “If you’re sick you should stay home Anders.”

 

“I’m not sick,” he defends himself. “It’s just one of those ‘blah’ weeks, crappy for some reason, or no  reason. There is no reason but it’s still crappy and this day sucks and I just want this week over with so I can get a better one.” He’s pouting with his arms folded across his chest and she has to smile.

 

“Everyone has weeks like that Anders,” she tries to sooth him. “They do usually pass,” it’s however obvious that it’s worse than it was when he sent her out for coffee, he hasn’t even finished his and now it’s getting cold. A half opened package of crisps laying on the desk.

 

“I’d like a better one, now please,” he pouts as he stacks the papers in front of him. Dawn smiles softly to herself, fetching a red bull from the fridge and places it in front of him. It’s not like it’s going to make anything better, and he’s not really tired as such, but she knows he will appreciate the gesture.

 

Anders signs the papers, then pauses when he needs to add the date on one. “Dawn, what date is it?”

 

“The twelfth Anders,” she looks up. He does after all have the time and date both on his desktop on the laptop in front of him, and on the calender, and he usually do not ask her about the date.

 

“Are you sure?” he frowns. “Really sure?”

 

“Yes Anders, I’m really sure,” she nods. “It’s the twelfth today.”

 

“Okay,” he acknowledges with a nod. At the moment really wishing he hadn’t looked at the date, hadn’t discovered what he did.

 

Anders doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he discovers that he’s missed his own birthday because Axl wasn’t there to be excited for him at least a week in advance.

 

Axl would always be excited about it, you’d think it was his birthday and not his brothers. He’d torment the others about what cake they would have, and Anders would let him becuase it was amusing to watch. He’d make such a big fuss about the secrecy that it was obvious what he was doing, and Anders always knew what he’d get from Axl becuase he made such a point of hiding it.

 

He would hardly leave him alone, and would wake him up even before the break of dawn to know if he wasn’t excited. He was the one who’d make Valerie make him breakfast, and he was the one who’d jump excitedly on his bed if he wasn’t fast enough, even if he was so big the damn thing nearly broke from it.

 

This year there hasn’t been anything, no contact with his brother at all. Anders still isn’t exactly welcome around Mike, even if he speaks to Ty and Axl on occasion, make sure they’re doing okay. He dropped off a present for Axl outside the door, knowing Valerie wouldn’t let him in. Hopefully she never figured it was from him, but now he haven’t heard from them in months, none of them, and he has not even realized it was his birthday, but he understands now why he has felt so ‘blah’ the whole week. Becuase Axl hasn’t been there with him, pestering him, teasing him and being excited about something Anders claims does not matter.

 

It’s only now he discovers how much it really did matter.

 

“What’s wrong Anders, did you miss something?” Dawn frowns concerned.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” he sighs.

 

“What?” she approaches slowly.

 

“Nothing important it appears,” he sighs and turns back to the papers he has to sign.   
  
Apparently Axl has moved on and no longer thinks about him, and that hurts more than he himself missing his own birthday.

  
The End

 

Please comment, the Cricket is hungry, and would like to encourage everyone to read the One Word at a Time series that this little snippet thingy is based on. 


End file.
